2017 Best Jobs for Millennials

Oct 25, 2017

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today unveiled the 2017 Best Jobs for Millennials. The new rankings are based on a survey of more than 1,000 individuals ages 20-34, who were asked what mattered most when considering a career. Millennials rank salary as the most important, followed by work-life balance and stress level when it comes to making career decisions, often looking for job opportunities that provide benefits different from the ones their predecessors sought.

Web Developer tops the list at No. 1, with a high potential for work-life balance and below-average stress on the job. Dental Hygienist follows at No. 2, offering Millennials a more flexible lifestyle. Software Developer comes in at No. 3 thanks to a high salary and a demand for digital prowess in a technologically-heavy age. If analyzing problems, devising solutions and communicating with both business managers and technology workers sounds appealing, then the No. 4 Computer Systems Analyst is the right fit, with Mechanical Engineer rounding out the top 5.

"Millennials should use every avenue possible when looking for jobs, including their family, friends, job boards, career fairs, networking events and lists like the U.S. News Best Jobs For Millennials," said Dan Schawbel, research director at Future Workplace and author of Promote Yourself. "These resources make it easier to find companies that best suit individual preferences, such as salary and work-life balance. You never know when and how you will find a job, but if you're using multiple sources and doing your research, the right one will come along."

The methodology evaluated professions available with a bachelor's degree or less, taking into account the most important aspects of a job according to millennials, including salary, work-life balance, stress level, upward mobility, future job prospects and unemployment rate. The current list also includes the Best Paying Jobs for Millennials, followed by the release of the Worst Jobs for Millennials in November and the Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance in December.

The Best Job for Millennials is part of the expanding Money channel at U.S. News, which includes rankings of the Best Jobs and trusted Investing, Retirement, Personal Finance, Careers and Real Estate content. The Money channel offers rankings, consumer information and in-depth analysis to help individuals navigate complex financial decisions.